Grow Up Strong -- Stay Active
Instill a love of sports or other active pastimes in your children now and it will serve them well in the future by:
- Helping him or her maintain a healthy body weight
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Boosting his or her psychological well-being
- Strengthening his or her muscles, bones, and joints
In addition, staying fit helps children feel good about themselves and builds self-confidence, which may help kids avoid risky behavior, such as drug and alcohol use. And research shows that children who enjoy a physically active lifestyle are likely to be active, healthy, and fit adults.
A good strategy to get younger children up and moving is to forget the word exercise and think fun, fun, fun! Being active as a kid is playing.
Building forts . . . chasing one another . . . playing tag . . . riding bikes . . . kick ball!
Think back to when you were a kid -- those times when you would get totally absorbed in an activity. Remember your thoughts, feelings, curiosity, creativity, and the urge to explore? Bring back that playful spirit and share it with your kids.
You can also foster a healthy lifestyle by:
- Playing ball in the backyard or at the park
- Going for bike rides or hikes
- Taking a parent-child gym class or having your kids join you on a jog or run
- Walking, rather than taking the car, whenever possible
As kids get older, let them choose their favorite sport and experiment with activities they might like. Finding activities that are the right match for your children could make them lifelong fitness fans and healthier adults. If baseball, basketball, and soccer aren't up your teen's alley, suggest a dance class, martial arts, or yoga.
RealAge Projection: Kids who learn to love being active when they're young are likely to stick with this healthy habit as adults. And if they do keep it up -- getting a good mix of aerobic, strength, and flexibility exercise -- at 35 their RealAge will actually be 27.
